
Skeptical Linguistic Essays
Paul M. Postal(Editor)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 16. September 2004
Book
Paperback/Softback
424 pages
978-0-19-516671-2 (ISBN)
Description
Paul Postal is a distinguished Research Professor at New York University whose specialties are syntactic theory, English syntax, and the foundations of linguistics. This volume consists of an introduction and two groups of essays, each with a connecting theme. The first, positive group, contains five previously unpublished studies of English syntax. These include a long study of so-called 'locative inversion', two investigations related to raising to non-subject status, an argument for the existence of a hitherto ignored nominal grammatical category and a study of vulgar negative polarity items. Each investigation of specific English details is argued to have significant theoretical consequences. The link between them is that each chapter reveals how much of even a well-studied language remains mysterious. Part One ends with a new theoretical essay that argues in a novel fashion for the controversial conclusion that it is literally impossible for a natural language to have a generative grammar due to a variety of theoretically neglected phenomena including so-called direct speech and metalinguistic uses. The second, negative group of papers, contains seven essays each of which seeks to show that aspects of contemporary linguistic activity are in part contaminated by elements of what is called 'junk linguistics'. Postal uses the term to denote work which advances proposals, puts forward claims and asserts deep results which, he argues, can only be accepted by ignoring serious standards of inquiry and scholarship. The fact that much of this work is nonetheless currently considered not only serious but prestigious reveals, Postal says, the problem to exist at the core of the field, not its periphery. These chapters include long, detailed studies of the strong crossover phenomenon and English passive structures as well as documentation of "junk linguistic" aspects in National Science Foundation refereeing, work on the foundations of linguistics, and even in widespread terminological usages. The negative section final chapter briefly lists personal suggestions for dealing with this problem.
Reviews / Votes
This book is a goldmine for advanced students in syntax... I take Postal's advice to students to my heart; Beware, be sceptical. * Fredrik Heinat, Linguist List 15.1893 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
685 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-516671-2 (9780195166712)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Paul M. Postal
Skeptical Linguistic Essays
E-Book
01/2004
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€63.49
Available for download

Paul M. Postal
Skeptical Linguistic Essays
E-Book
01/2004
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€63.49
Available for download
Person
Paul Postal is a Research Professor of Linguistics at New York University. His specialties are syntactic theory, English syntax, and the foundations of linguistics. He previously taught at MIT and the City University of New York, and is the author of twelve previous books and dozens of articles on linguistics.
Content
Introduction
Part I: Studies in Linguistics
1: A Paradox in English Syntax
2: A Putatively Banned Type of Raising
3: A New Raising Mystery
4: Chromaticity: An Overlooked English Grammatical Category Distinction
5: The Structure of One Type of American English Vulgar Minimizer
6: The Openness of Natural Languages
Part II: Studies of Junk Linguistics
7: Junk Syntax 1: A Supposed Account of Strong Crossover Effects
8: Junk Syntax 2: "There Remain a Few As Yet Unexplained Exceptions"
9: Junk Ethics 1: Advances in Linguistic Rhetoric
10: Junk Refereeing: Our Tax Dollars at Work
11: Junk Ethics 2: The Most Irresponsible Passage
12: Junk Reasoning 1: If It Doesn't Follow Automatically, Then It's Pretty Much Got to at Least Virtually Follow, and If Not, Don't Worry; It Is Still Unquestionably Natural
13: Junk Reasoning 2: '(Virtually) Conceptually Necessary'
14: Junk Linguistics: The Bottom Line
Notes
References
Index
Part I: Studies in Linguistics
1: A Paradox in English Syntax
2: A Putatively Banned Type of Raising
3: A New Raising Mystery
4: Chromaticity: An Overlooked English Grammatical Category Distinction
5: The Structure of One Type of American English Vulgar Minimizer
6: The Openness of Natural Languages
Part II: Studies of Junk Linguistics
7: Junk Syntax 1: A Supposed Account of Strong Crossover Effects
8: Junk Syntax 2: "There Remain a Few As Yet Unexplained Exceptions"
9: Junk Ethics 1: Advances in Linguistic Rhetoric
10: Junk Refereeing: Our Tax Dollars at Work
11: Junk Ethics 2: The Most Irresponsible Passage
12: Junk Reasoning 1: If It Doesn't Follow Automatically, Then It's Pretty Much Got to at Least Virtually Follow, and If Not, Don't Worry; It Is Still Unquestionably Natural
13: Junk Reasoning 2: '(Virtually) Conceptually Necessary'
14: Junk Linguistics: The Bottom Line
Notes
References
Index